Translated into
English by
Bhikshuni Heng Yin
Reviewed by
Bhikshuni Heng Chih

SUTRA:

THE BUDDHA HAS INSTRUCTED US
TO SPEAK OF THE UNSURPASSED PATH,
AND SPOKEN OF THOSE WHO PRACTICE IT
AS BEING ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH BUDDHAHOOD.
RECEIVING THE BUDDHA'S TEACHING, WE
FOR THE SAKE OF THE GREAT BODHISATTVAS,
USE CAUSES AND CONDITIONS,
VARIOUS ANALOGIES,
AND NUMEROUS EXPRESSIONS
TO SPEAK OF THE UNSURPASSED PATH.
ALL THE BUDDHA'S DISCIPLES,
HAVING HEARD FROM US THIS DHARMA,
THINK UPON IT DAY AND NIGHT,
AND DILIGENTLY PRACTICE IT.
THEREUPON, ALL THE BUDDHAS,
THEN BESTOW PREDICTIONS UPON THEM,
SAYING, "YOU IN A FUTURE AGE,
SHALL BECOME BUDDHAS."
THIS IS THE SECRET STORE OF DHARMA,
OF ALL THE BUDDHAS.
ONLY FOR THE BODHISATTVAS
ARE SUCH REAL MATTERS SET FORTH.
AND NOT FOR OUR SAKES
HAVE SUCH TRUE ESSENTIALS BEEN SPOKEN.

COMMENTARY:

THE BUDDHA HAS INSTRUCTED US/TO SPEAK OF
THE UNSURPASSED PATH/AND
OF THOSE WHO PRACTICEIT/AS BEING ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH BUDDHAHOOD/Those
who practice the Great Vehicle will
eventually accomplish
the ultimate Buddhafruit.
RECEIVING THE BUDDHA'S
TEACHING WE/FOR THE SAKE OF THE GREAT BODHISATTVAS/USE
CAUSES AND CONDITIONS/VARIOUS ANALOGIES/AND NUMEROUS EXPRESSIONS/TOSPEAK THE UNSURPASSED PATH/

ALL THE BUDDHA'S
DISCIPLES/HAYING HEARD FROM US THIS DHARMA/THINK
UPON IT DAY AND NIGHT/AND DILIGENTLY PRACTICE
IT/THEREUPON, ALL THEBUDDHAS/THEN BESTOW
PREDICTIONS UPON THEM/SAYING, "YOU, IN A FUTURE AGE/SHALL BECOME
BUDDHAS"/Then, a11 the Buddhas,
with the same sound,seal
and certify this fact by bestowing predictions of future Buddhahood
upon the Bodhisattvas. They say, "You in
limitless
ageshence, will
perfect the Bodhisattva
path andbecome Buddhas."

THIS IS THE
SECRET STORE OF DHARMA/OF
ALLTHE BUDDHAS/the
secret Dharma-jewel
of all
theBuddhas throughout the ten directions. ONLYFOR THE BODHISATTVAS/ARE
SUCH REAL MATTERS SETFORTH/It is only
for those with the potentialof the Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas,
that suchsubtle,
wonderful,
true matters are expounded.AND NOT FOR OUR SAKES/HAVE
SUCH TRUE ESSENTIALSBEEN SPOKEN/It's
not for the small
vehiclepeople
that such real Dharma
has been taught. The provisional
Dharma was spoken for those ofthe small
vehicle.
The real
Dharma was not spoken for them.

SUTRA:

JUST AS THE POOR SON
DREW NEAR HIS FATHER, AND
ALTHOUGH HE KNEW OF ALL HIS POSSESSIONS,
IN HIS HEART HE HELD NO HOPE OF GETTING THEM.
IN JUST THE SAME WAY,
EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SPOKEN
OF THE BUDDHADHARMA'S
PRECIOUS STORE,
WE PERSONALLY NEVER ASPIRED
TO IT.

COMMENTARY:

JUST AS THE POOR SON/DREW
NEAR HIS FATHER.AND/ALTHOUGH HE KNEW OF ALL HIS POSSESSIONS/IN HIS HEART HE HELD NO HOPE OF GETTING THEM/He knew of all
his father's
valuables,
but itnever occurred to him to call
these thingshis
own. IN JUST THE SAME WAY/EVEN THOUGH HEHAVE SPOKEN/We
of the small
vehicle
have spoken OF THE BUDDHADHARMA'S
PRECIOUS STORE/WE'VE
PERSONALLY NEVER ASPIRED FOR IT/We
feltthere was no point in seeking the Great
Vehicle Dharma of the Bodhisattvas. The poorson knew of a11
the treasures, yet he did notknow that they belonged
to him. He stillheld on to his small
viewpoint and didn'texpand his thinking. Now, he finally
understands that we all
have a share in the Buddhawealth.

SUTRA:

HAVING ATTAINED INNER EXTINCTION,
WE THOUGHT THIS SUFFICIENT,
FOR HAVING COMPLETED THIS,
THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO BE DONE.
AND EVEN IF WE HAD HEARD
OF PURIFYING BUDDHALANDS,
AND TEACHING AND TRANSFORMING
LIVING BEINGS,
WE'D
HAVE TAKEN NO DELIGHT THEREIN.
AND FOR WHAT REASON?
ALL DHARMAS
ARECOMPLETE

ALL DHARMAS ARECOMPLETELY EMPTY AND STILL,
NEITHER PRODUCED NOR DESTROYED,
NEITHER GREAT NOR SMALL,
WITHOUT OUTFLOWS AND UNCONDITIONED.
REFLECTING IN THIS WAY,
WE DID NOT GIVE RISE TO JOY.
DURING THE LONG NIGHT,
WE HAD NO CRAVING OR ATTACHMENT
FOR THE BUDDHA'S WISDOM,
NOR DID WE ASPIRE TO IT.
YET, AS TO DHARMA, WE
CLAIMED WE HAD THE ULTIMATE.
ALL THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT,
WE PRACTICED AND CULTIVATED THE
DHARMA OF EMPTINESS.
HAVING WON RELEASE FORM THE
TRIPLE WORLD
WITH ITS SUFFERING, DISTRESS AND
CALAMITIES,
WE DWELL WITHIN OUR FINAL BODIES,
IN NIRVANA WITH RESIDUE.
ACCORDING TO THE BUDDHA'S TEACHING,
WE ATTAINED THE WAY WHICH IS NOT FALSE,
AND WE ASSUMED THAT WE HAD
THEREBY REPAID THE BUDDHA'S KINDNESS.

COMMENTARY:

Mahakashyapa says that, HAVING ATTAINED
INNER EXTINCTION/We who cultivate the Two Vehicles have already gotten
rid of the false thinking within ourselves. This absence offalse
thinking is what is called "inner
extinction." And WE THOUGHT THIS
SUFFICIENT/Becausewe
had no false thinking, we thought that we were
always in samadhi. We felt that with"one
thought not produced, the entire substance
manifests." The state in which not a single
thought arises is
called
"inner extinction." WE THOUGHT THIS SUFFICIENT/We
felt
that this
was enough. We had cultivated
to the point that we had no more false
thinking. FOR,HAVING COMPLETED THIS/THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE
TO BE DONE/or
so we thought. We have already cut off our afflictions
and broken through our ignorance, so that we are always
giving rise to inner wisdom. So what else is there to be done?

AND EVEN IF WE HAD HEARD/OF PURIFYING
BUDDHALANDS/of purifying and
adorning theBuddhalands, of turning from the
small
vehicle towards the Great Vehicle,
and of practicingthe Bodhisattva path AND OF TEACHING AND
TRANSFORMING LIVING BEINGS/of
enlightening oneselfand others, of benefitting
oneself
and others,and leading
all living
beings
to understand the
Buddhadharma, WE'D HAVE TAKEN NO
DELIGHT THERE-IN/We would have thought,
"That's
asking too much. Can't we just cultivate,
gain our own attainment and then forget it? What's with going around teaching everybody else?
That's really
just making up things to keep yourself busy!" Those of the Two Vehicles are
independent. They work for their own accomplishment and don't
care to worry about other people."Who cares if they fall
into the hells
or turn
into animals?
Let them do what they like!
I'm enlightened
already, and they are simply none of my business! I have broken through
ignorance and seen the Dharma
nature, and I don't
care about saving living
beings." They are not the least
bit interested in purifying the Buddhalands
and teaching living beings.

AND FOR WHAT REASON?/ALL DHARMAS ARE/COMPLETELY EMPTY AND STILL/They
are empty!What's the big deal
about teaching living beings?

Although all
Dharmas
are empty and still,one still
must practice the Bodhisattva path and benefit others. But those of the Two
Vehicles
are lazy.
they don't want to do this. They hold to the saying,

Your suffering is your business. I have
some skill, and so I don't suffer. That's goodenough
for me. Your suffering is none of my business. Basically, all the
Buddhas and a11living beings
are one. The Buddha is living beings, and living beings are the Buddha.Those of the Two Vehicles have arrived
at "Transformation City," and they tike it there just fine.
They were once vigorous in pursuit of the Way, but having arrived
half-way,they grow lazy.
"I've gotten quite enough."This
is like people who are quite vigorous in their cultivation before they
leave home.But, once they have
left home, they think, "I have already received the precepts. It
doesn't matter anymore whether or not I cultivate. I can keep my old bad
habits, and if I get a little lazy, it's no problem." That's just
the way those of the Two Vehicles are. They have cultivated and attained
some benefits, and having rid themselves of ignorance and affliction,
they think, "This is really wonderful."They
end up enjoying how "wonderful" everything is for them, and
they don't think to teach and transform living beings, to purify the
Buddha-lands. They take no delight in such ideas.Why
not? Everything is empty and still. If they felt delighted they would
just be getting attached again! What they don't realize is that their
passivity is also a form of attachment! Hah! Delight and non-delight are
both attachments!

ALL
DHARMAS ARE/COMPLETELY EMPTY AND STILL/NEITHER
PRODUCED NOR DESTROYED/NEITHER GREAT NOR SMALL/They think, "Since
all dharmas aren't produced or destroyed, why should I bring about
production and extinction?" WITHOUT OUTFLOWS AND
UNCONDITIONED/REFLECTING IN THIS WAY/WE DID NOT GIVE RISE TO JOY/They
aren't interested in practicing the Bodhisattva's path, in purifying the
Buddhalands, in teaching and transforming living beings. They find the
whole idea to be a pain in the neck.

WE, DURING THE LONG NIGHT/During
the long night of time, HAD NO CRAVING OR
ATTACHMENT/FOR THE BUDDHA'S WISDOM/We did
not covet even the wisdom of the Buddha, that
bright light which illumines the dark night of
time. Wehad no attachments. Above, we
felt there was no Buddhahood for us to realize,
and below there were no living beings to
save. We had no hope of becoming Buddhas, and
we had no wisdom to save living beings. I
don't know quite what we thought we were
doing! We weren't doing anything, in
fact!" And you wonder why the Buddha scolded
those of the Two Vehicles calling them
withered sprouts and sterile seeds? They weren't
reaching for Buddhahood; they weren't teaching
living beings. They were exactly nowhere; they were drying up and blowing away.
They did not even care about attaining the
Buddha's wisdom or becoming a Buddha, NOR DID WE
ASPIRE TO IT/It didn't figure in their plans
at all.

AND YET, AS TO DHARMA, WE/CLAIMED
WE HADTHE ULTIMATE/We thought we had
achieved inner-extinction, broken through
ignorance and severed affliction, and we
thought that was

about all there was to cultivation.
We have no afflictions or ignorance. You
can scold us or hit us, and it doesn't
matter. This is the ultimate in all Dharmas. ALL
THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT/WE PRACTICED AND
CULTIVATED THE DHARMA OF EMPTINESS/We have cut off
affliction in the Three Realms. HAVING WON
RELEASE FROM THE TRIPLE WORLD/WITH ITS
SUFFERING. DISTRESS,AND CALAMITIES/ WE DWELL WITHIN OUR
FINAL BODIES/and we do not again have to
undergo birth and death IN NIRVANA WITH RESIDUE/ACCORDING TO THE BUDDHA'S TEACHING/WE
ATTAINED THE WAY WHICH IS NOT FALSE/We have
attained the fruits of the Path. AND WE
ASSUMED THAT WE HAD/THEREBY REPAID THE BUDDHA'S
KINDNESS/We thought that our attainment of
the nirvana with residue and our certification
to the Fourth Fruit of Arhatship was, in
fact, repaying the Buddha's kindness."
But it wasn't, really, because those of
the Two Vehicles did not cultivate the
Bodhisattva Path,did not adorn the Buddhalands and
did not teach and transform living beings.
All they cared about was #1 , and that
doesn't count as repaying the Buddha's kindness.

SUTRA:

ALTHOUGH WE, FOR THE SAKE
OF THE BUDDHA'S
DISCIPLES SPOKE
OF THE BODHISATTVA*S DHARMA,
WITH WHICH THEY
SHOULD SEEK BUDDHAHOOD,
STILL IN THIS DHARMA,
WE NEVER TOOK DELIGHT AT ALL.
OUR MASTER SAW
THIS AND LET THINGS BE,
BECAUSE HE SAW INTO OUR HEARTS.
AND SO, AT FIRST, HE
DID NOT ENCOURAGE US
BY TELLING OF THE
REAL ADVANTAGE.

COMMENTARY:

ALTHOUGH WE, FOR THE SAKE/OF THE
BUDDHA'S DISCIPLES, SPOKE/OF THE
BODHISATTVA'S DHARMA/WITH WHICH THEY SHOULD SEEK
BUDDHAHOOD/YET, IN THIS DHARMA/WE NEVER TOOK
DELIGHT AT ALL/We never hoped for it ourselves;
we were not the slightest bit interested in it. We
didn't want to practice the Bodhisattva
Path. We were satisfied with the little we had;
we felt happy enough at having arrived in
Transformation City. We weren't greedy for
Buddhahood. Above,we felt no need to realize
Buddhahood, and below we had no interest in teaching
living beings.

OUR MASTER SAW THIS AND LET
THINGS BE/The Buddha knew that we didn't
want to cultivate the Great Vehicle
Buddhadharma, and so he didn't speak the Great Vehicle
Buddhadharma to us, BECAUSE HE SAW INTO OUR
HEARTS/He knew that we liked the small vehicle.
AND SO, AT FIRST, HE DID NOT ENCOURAGE US/BY
TELLING US OF THE REAL ADVANTAGE/In the
beginning he just taught us about the Four Holy
Truths and the Twelve Causal Conditions. He
didn't encourage us to practice the Six
Perfections and Ten Thousand Conducts of the
Bodhisattva. He didn't tell us to practice the
Bodhisattva path and become Buddhas. He merely
encouraged us to attain the Four Fruits of
Arhatship."

SUTRA:

JUST AS THE WEALTHY ELDER
KNOWING HIS SON'S LOWLY
AMBITIONS,
USED THE POWER OF EXPEDIENTS
TO BRING HIS MIND UNDER CONTROL,
AND AFTERWARDS GAVE TO HIM
ALL OF HIS VALUABLES,
THE BUDDHA IN THE SAME WAY
MANIFESTS RARE THINGS.
BUT FOR THOSE WHO
DELIGHT IN THE SMALL,
HE USES THE POWER OF EXPEDIENTS
TO BRING THEIR MINDS UNDER
CONTROL
ONLY THEN TEACHING
THE GREATER WISDOM.

COMMENTARY:

JUST AS THE WEALTHY ELDER/KNOWS
HIS SON'S LOWLY AMBITIONS/knowing he had no
lofty resolve,USED THE POWER OF EXPEDIENTS/used
various expedient methods, TO BRING HIS
MIND UNDER CONTROL/Bit by bit he tamed him, he
drew near him, chatted with him, he put on
a worn and dirty robe. This means that the
Buddha manifested as an ordinary Bhikshu so
that he could draw near to those of the Two
Vehicles. Gradually, he subdued their minds.
AND AFTERWARDS GAVE TO HIM/ALL OF HIS
VALUABLES/THE BUDDHA,IN THE SAME WAY/MANIFESTS RARE
THINGS/Things never seen before, dharmas never
known before,BUT FOR THOSE WHO DELIGHT IN THE
SMALL/those of the Two Vehicles, he speaks
the small vehicle dharma. HE USES THE POWER
OF EXPEDIENTS/TO BRING THEIR MINDS UNDER
CONTROL/and once their minds have been subdued,
ONLY THEN TEACHING THE GREATER WISDOM/only
then are they receptive to the Great Vehicle
Buddhadharma.

SUTRA:

ON THIS DAY, WE
HAVE GAINED WHAT WE NEVER HAD!
THAT FOR WHICH WE LACKED HOPE,
WE NOW HAVE ATTAINED.
JUST AS THE POOR SON
GAINED LIMITLESS TREASURE,
WORLD HONORED ONE, NOW
WE'VE OBTAINED THE
PATH AND ITS FRUITS.
WITHIN THE NON-OUTFLOW DHARMA
WE'VE GAINED THIS REWARD.
IN THE DHARMA KING'S DHARMA,
LONG HAVE WE
CULTIVATED BRAHMA CONDUCT.
NOW WE'VE OBTAINED
THAT NON-OUTFLOW,
THE UNSURPASSED, GREAT FRUITION.
NOW WE ARE ALL
TRULY SOUND HEARERS
AND TAKING THE SOUND
OF THE BUDDHA'S WAY,
WE CAUSE ALL TO HEAR IT.
NOW WE ARE ALL
TRULY ARHATS,
AND IN ALL THE WORLD,
WITH ITS GODS,
PEOPLE, MARAS AND BRAHMAS,
EVERYWHERE AMONG THEM
WE ARE WORTHY OF
RECEIVING OFFERINGS.

COMMENTARY:

ON THIS DAY, WE/HAVE GAINED
WHAT WE NEVER HAD/THAT FOR WHICH WE
LACKED HOPE/WE NOW HAVE ATTAINED/JUST AS THE
POOR SON/GAINED LIMITLESS TREASURES/Basically,
he had no idea he would be bequeathed all of
his father's wealth.

WORLD HONORED ONE, NOW/WE'VE
OBTAINED THE PATH AND ITS FRUITS/the
fruition of the unsurpassed Buddha Path. WITHIN
THE NON-OUT-FLOW DHARMA/WE'VE GAINED THE
EYE, PURE ANDCLEAR/We've gained the clear,
pure Buddha-eye and opened the wisdom of
the Buddha.

DURING THE LONG NIGHT,
WE/MAINTAINED THE BUDDHA'S PURE MORALITY/During
the long nightof time, we have upheld the
pure, precious, precepts of the Buddha. BUT
ONLY ON THISDAY/HAVE WE GAINED THIS
REWARD/IN THE DHARMA KING'S DHARMA/In the
Buddhadharma LONG HAVE WE CULTIVATED BRAHMA CONDUCT/We
have been practicing pure conduct for a
long, long time, for over forty years,
now. NOW WE'VE OBTAINED THAT NON-OUTFLOW/THE
UNSURPASSED GREAT FRUITION/and there is
nothing higher than this position. NOW WE ARE
ALL/TRULY SOUND HEARERS/AND TAKING THE
SOUND OF THE BUDDHA'S WAY/WE CAUSE ALL TO
HEAR it/so that all living beings get to hear
the Buddha-dharma. NOW WE ARE ALL/TRULY
ARHATS/we are "Slayers of Thieves,"
"Ones Worthy of Offerings," "Ones Not
Born." AND IN ALL THE WORLD/WITH ITS GODS, PEOPLE, MARAS, AND
BRAHMAS/EVERYWHERE AMONG THEM/WE
ARE WORTHY OFRECEIVING OFFERINGS/We are
truly worthy of receiving their offerings
within the Triple Realm.

For those who have left home,
it is not easy to accept the offerings of
those who have not left home. It is said,
"If you haven't ended the three phases
of thought,you'll find plain
water hard to
digest."The three phases of thought
refer to past thought, present thought, and
future thought.The
Diamond Sutra says,
"Past thought cannot be got at; present thought cannot
be got at;future thought cannot be got
at." But have you got at it? As to the past, it
has already gone by and cannot be
obtained. The present is just now becoming the
past, and it doesn't stand still. The future
simply hasn't come yet. One may make
verbal reference to the three phases of
thought as unobtainable, but on a more
practical level,have you ended the three phases of
thought? Do you think about the past? Have
you forgotten what happened in the past?
No? Then you have "obtained" past
thought. Is yourthought at present empty? Are you
running thoughts through your head
concerning your next shopping trip? Or your next
project? There! You have
"obtained" present thought. Are you planning for your future?
You have just "obtained" future
thought! See? If you have no thought of the past, no
thoughts in the present, and no concern for the
future,then you can say, "The three
phases of thought cannot be obtained." It should
be the case that you,

Sweep away the three phases of
thought,
And separate from all marks.

But, if as a left-home person you
have not ended the three phases of thought,
you are going to have trouble trying to
digest a cup of water, to say nothing of
digesting your lunch!

Back to the saying,

If you haven't ended the three phases of thought, you'll find plain water hard to
digest.But, if you've understood the
Five Contemplations,
You'll be able to digest metal!

I've noticed lately that there is
a lot of chatter going on at the lunch
table. Probably you have all forgotten the
Five Contemplations. You should forget the
Three Phases of Thought, but you can't forget
them! You should remember the Five
Contemplations, but you can't remember them!

What are the Five
Contemplations, then?

1. Consider the amount of
work it took to get the food to you.
2. Consider whether you have
enough merit to accept the offering.
3. Guard your mind against
offenses such as greed.

In other words, don't get greedy
when you see good things to eat, and don't get
disgustedwhen the food's not good. You
should be even-minded regardless of what's on the
table.

4. Remember the food is only
medicine,to prevent the body from
going bad.

Eating food is just like taking
medicine. You shouldn't get caught up in the
taste of food.It is taken merely to keep you
going.

5. I only take this food in order to
realize the karma of the Way.

I eat so that I may live, and I
live so that
I may cultivate and realize the
Way.
So, the text says, WE ARE WORTHY
OF RECEIVING OFFERINGS.

SUTRA:

THE WORLD HONORED ONE IN HIS GREAT
KINDNESS,
USES THIS RARE THING,TO PITY, TEACH,AND BENEFIT US.
THROUGHOUT LIMITLESS MILLIONS OF
AEONS,
WHO COULD REPAY HIM?
GIVING ONE'S HANDS AND FEET,
BOWING REVERENTLY IN OBEISANCE,
WHATEVER OFFERING ONE MAKES,
NEVER REPAYS HIM.
IF ONE BORE HIM ON ONE'S HEAD,
OR CARRIED HIM UPON ONE'S
SHOULDERS,
FOR AEONS AS -NUMEROUS AS THE
GANGES' SANDS,
EXHAUSTING ONE'S MIND IN REVERENCE,
OR FURTHER, IF ONE USED DELICACIES,
AND LIMITLESS VALUABLE CLOTHING,
AND ALL TYPES OF BEDDING,
AND VARIOUS MEDICINES,
OX-HEAD SANDALWOOD,
AND VARIOUS PRECIOUS GEMS,
OR STUPAS AND TEMPLES,
COVERING THE GROUND WITH VALUABLE
CLOTH,
AND IF WITH SUCH THINGS AS THESE,
ONE MADE OFFERINGS
THROUGHOUT AEONS AS NUMEROUS AS
THE GANGES' SANDS,
ONE STILL NEVER REPAYS HIM.
THE BUDDHAS ARE RARE INDEED.
LIMITLESS AND BOUNDLESS,
YES, INCONCEIVABLE IS THE POWER,
OF THEIR GREAT SPIRITUAL
PENETRATIONS.
WITHOUT OUTFLOWS, UNCONDITIONED,
THEY ARE KINGS OF ALL THE
DHARMAS.
FOR THE SAKE OF LESSER BEINGS,
THEY BEAR UP UNDER THIS WORK.
TO COMMON FOLKS WHO GRASP AT
MARKS,
THEY TEACH WHAT IS APPROPRIATE.
THE BUDDHAS HAVE, WITHIN THE
DHARMAS,
ATTAINED TO THE HIGHEST COMFORT.
THEY UNDERSTAND ALL LIVING
BEINGS'
VARIOUS DESIRES AND DELIGHTS,
AS WELL AS THE STRENGTH OF THEIR
RESOLVE
ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY CAN BEAR,
USING LIMITLESS ANALOGIES,
THEY TEACH THEM THE DHARMA,
IN ACCORD WITH LIVING BEINGS'
WHOLESOME ROOTS FROM FORMER
LIVES,
AND KNOWING THOSE WHO HAVE
MATURED,
THROUGH SUCH CALCULATIONS, THEY DISCRIMINATE AND UNDERSTAND.
AND IN THE PATHWAY OF ONE
VEHICLE,
THEY APPROPRIATELY SPEAK OF
THREE.

COMMENTARY:

THE WORLD HONORED ONE, IN HIS
GREAT KINDNESS/USES THIS RARE
THING/employs the unsurpassed Dharma, which is
extremely rare in the world, TO PITY, TEACH/AND
BENEFIT US/Inthe Ten Dharma Realms he causes
all living beings to make the Four Vast Vows
and to
accomplish the unsurpassed,
wonderful fruitionof Bodhi. He causes us to bring
forth theBodhi mind and eventually realize
the wonderful fruit of enlightenment. This
is thegreatest form of kindness there
is. He leads living beings to separate from
suffering andattain bliss. THROUGHOUT
LIMITLESS MILLIONS OF AEONS/Living beings have
forgotten the Great Vehicle Dharma. They take
suffering as bliss. Although they have
forgotten,the "seeds" of the
power of their vows--these Great Vehicle seeds--do
not get lost. So now the Buddha uses the power
of his great compassion to bring
happiness to all living beings. He leads all
living beings to attain peace and comfort.
Living beings undergoing suffering are like
children being bullied who go running to their
father. They can find no way out of it
themselves and so the Buddha teaches them the Six
Perfections and the Ten Thousand Conducts. He
teaches them the Bodhisattva Path of
benefitting oneself and benefitting others,
so thatin the future they can realize
Buddhahood. After the Buddha became a Buddha
himself, he was basically entitled to enjoy
the happiness of still extinction. He didn't
have to do anything else. But, the Buddha
was unable to let go of living beings, and so
he taught the Buddhadharma to all living
beings. He taught them to keep the five precepts,
to practice the ten good deeds, and to cultivate
in accord with Dharma. First, he spoke TheGreat Avatamsaka
Sutra, But, because the
potentials of living beings had not yet matured
sufficiently to understand the doctrines of The Avatamsaka Sutra, the Buddha "hid away
the great and manifested the small." He
manifested as an old Bhikshu to draw near to all
living beings.This was a manifestation of the
Buddha's great compassion. He drew near to
living beings,and as they gradually got to know
him better, they grew to have faith in him.
The Buddha bequeathed all of his valuables to
the Two Vehicles; he turned over his entire
inheritance to them. He had a meeting, and
amidst all the great kings and ministers and
householders, he decided that his entire wealth
would be turned over to those of the Two
Vehicles--they in the future can become
Buddhas. They will eventually sit on the Buddha's
throne, purify the Buddhatands, and teach
and transform living beings. This just shows
us the Buddha's great kindness.

HE USES THIS RARE THING/this most
rare Dharma, TO PITY, TEACH/AND
BENEFIT US/not justfor a short while, but THROUGHOUT
LIMITLESS MILLIONS OF AEONS/WHO COULD REPAY
HIM? The World Honored One has been so
good to us. How can we ever repay him?

GIVING ONE'S HANDS AND
FEET/BOWING REVERENTLY IN OBEISANCE/WHATEVER
OFFERING ONEMAKES/NEVER REPAYS HIM/There is
no way to repay the great kindness of the
Buddha. To offer one's hands and feet means to
do work for the Buddha.

IF ONE BORE HIM ON ONE'S HEAD/OR
CARRIED HIM UPON ONE'S SHOULDERS/FOR
AEONS AS NUMEROUS AS THE GANGES' SANDS/EXHAUSTING
ONE'S MIND IN REVERENCE/Doing absolutely
everything in one's power to show reverence and
respect, OR FURTHER IF ONE USED DELICACIES/AND
LIMITLESS VALUABLE CLOTHING/AND ALL TYPES OF
BEDDING/AND VARIOUSMEDICINES/These are the four
types of offerings: food and drink, bedding, clothing, and medicines.
OX HEAD SANDALWOOD/AND
VARIOUS PRECIOUS GEMS/OR BUILT STUPAS AND
TEMPLES/COVERING THE GROUND WITH VALUABLE CLOTH/AND IF
WITH SUCH THINGS AS THESE/ONE MADE OFFERINGS/THROUGHOUT AEONS AS NUMEROUS AS THE GANGES'
SANDS/ONE STILL COULD NEVER REPAY HIM/

THE BUDDHAS ARE RARE,
INDEED/LIMITLESS AND BOUNDLESS/YES, INCONCEIVABLE
IS THE POWER/OF THEIR GREAT SPIRITUAL
PENETRATIONS/There is no one else in the world like the
Buddha. TheBuddha's state is limitless and
boundless and inconceivable.

WITHOUT OUTFLOWS.
UNCONDITIONED/THEY ARE KINGS OF ALL DHARMAS/The Buddha
has attainedto the state of no-outflows and
certified to the wonderful doctrine of the
unconditioned.Therefore, within all the Dharmas
he is the King, his is the highest
position, and yet FOR THE SAKE OF LESSER BEINGS/The
Buddha will refrain from speaking the
highest. Great Vehicle Buddhadharma, and for the
sake of the Real manifest the Provisional. He
will teach the expedient devices for those
inferior. THEY BEAR UP UNDER THIS WORK/With
patience, they undertake to educate those
who are inferior by teaching them the
provisional doctrine.

TO COMMON FOLKS WHO GRASP AT
MARKS/THEY TEACH WHAT IS APPROPRIATE/They
give the common folks what they like. If they like what is sweet, they give them
something sweet.If they like what is salty, they
give them something salty. If they like
hot, bitter,or sour things, they give them
what they like, according to their tastes. If
they need to be crossed over by means of
bitter dharmas,they teach them bitter dharmas.
If they need to be crossed over by means of
joyful dharmas,they give them joyful dharmas. If
they need to be crossed over by means of
kindness, they teach them the dharmas of kindness.
If they need to be crossed over by means of compassionate dharmas, they teach them
compassionate dharmas. The Buddha cherishes and
protects all living beings as one would love
and protect one's own children. He
looks upon a11 living beings as if they were his
own children. He looks upon them as if they were
his own parents. So the Buddha said,

All men are like my father,
All women are like my mother.

Since all men are like one's
father, one should be filial. Seeing all women
as like one's mother, one should also be
filial. If one has this attitude, one will not
fall into deviant knowledge and views
regarding living beings. One won't be prone to
desire. The practice of filiality precludes
lustful thoughts toward others. That is why
the Buddha treats all living beings as
equals.

There is a saying,
If you wish to lead them into
the Buddha's wisdom,
You must first bait the hook
with something that they
like.

Fishermen have to put some bait on
their hooks, something that the fish like
to eat,and then the fish will bite, and
you can reel them in. If your relatives and
friends do not believe in the Buddhadharma,
you can bring them here to have a good
lunch. If the food is good, they will remember it
and think about coming back at the next
opportunity.You can say, "That lunch
wasn't so good. Iknow something that's even better.
Try the Dharma! That's even better."
And then they hear the Dharma and get crossed
over.

THEY TEACH THEM WHAT IS
APPROPRIATE/
They teach the right dharma at
the right time.
They teach them what they need
to learn.

THE BUDDHAS HAVE, WITHIN THE
DHARMAS/ATTAINED TO THE HIGHEST
COMFORT/They are the freest and most at ease. They
are "right-on" all the time.

THEY UNDERSTAND ALL LIVING
BEINGS'/VARIOUS DESIRES AND
DELIGHTS/Some like to hear the Buddhadharma; others
like to go to movies. Some like to dance;
others like tennis. Some like to sleep!
Some like to eat! Some like to go jogging.
Everybody's different. But, the Buddha
knows what they like best, and knows AS WELL
THE STRENGTH OF THEIR RESOLVE/AND ACCORDING
TO WHAT THEY CAN BEAR/according to what they will accept, USING LIMITLESS ANALOGIES/THEY
TEACH THE DHARMA TO THEM/IN ACCORD WITH
LIVING BEINGS'/WHOLESOME ROOTS FROM FORMER
LIVES/We living beings come into this world
with different predilections. This life we are
friends with one person, and in the
next life we are friends with another. In
this life, one person is our father, and in
the next life, someone else takes that role.
Thislife one is married to one person,
and in the next life to another. Father/son
this life,father/son with another next life.
One undergoes retribution according to
karma created in former lives. We have
come into this world to undergo retribution.
So people shouldn't be so stupid. Basically,
once one has studied the Buddhadharma and
listened to the Sutras, one should not run down
filthy roads again. In one's thoughts and
actions one should be pure. AND KNOWING
THOSE WHO HAVE MATURED/AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT
YET MATURE For those who have not planted good
roots, they help them to plant them. For those
who have already planted good roots, they
help them to grow. For those whose good roots
have already grown, they help them to mature.
THROUGH SUCH CALCULATIONS/THEY DISCRIMINATE AND
UNDERSTAND/He knows the dispositions of living
beings,AND IN THE PATHWAY OF ONE
VEHICLE/THEY APPROPRIATELY SPEAK OF THREE/He speaks
of the Three Vehicles.